Karnataka - Bangalore

Out-of-the-lunch-box thinking?

DELECTABLE FARE: Employees of LogicaCMG took part in a potluck lunch on Wednesday.

Bangalore: With Durga Puja and Navratri over, celebrations and festivities have taken the backseat for most of us. At least until Deepavali, that is.

However, for the employees of LogicaCMG, the celebrations seem to have just started. Over 2,000 of them tore themselves away from their computer screens and got together on Wednesday to create the biggest corporate potluck lunch in the country.

Each of them turned up with a lunchbox tucked under their arm as they had been asked to bring dishes which “best defined their personality and also to include delicacies from across the country”. If the organisers expected Ms. A. Nervosa to bring lettuce leaves or Mr. Potato Head to turn up with fried ice-cream on a cream cheese base, no such luck. What did comprise the bill of fare were the usual fish cutlets, chicken curry, mutton biryani, pork chops, paneer tikka, aloo gobi, mixed vegetables and, of course, curd rice.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere was festive in the cafeteria where the event, a build-up to the company’s annual day, was held. As the staff walked in with their lunchboxes they were greeted by a host of colourful banners and posters. There was general enthusiasm in the air as most of them wanted to taste what the others had cooked for the occasion. Certainly there were the singletons who took the easy way out in contributing by bringing beverages. Though each group had a table to itself, the lunchers kept checking out the other tables and helping themselves to tempting bites here and there. even as mingling with others from outside their group.

“We wanted to create and enforce a family atmosphere,” said Suma Boby, marketing manager.

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